older Americans

“Make this a national conversation,” Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, urged participants in Tampa at the first in a series of five regional forums preparing for the White House Conference on Aging this summer. The invitation-only forums allow older Americans and those who work with and for them an opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns on various issues. Discussions aim to form a vision and agenda for the White House conference, held in Washington …

The Older Americans Act (OAA) is critical to helping seniors live independently as they age. Last month, the Senate HELP Committee unanimously approved the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill supported by AARP. The bill now awaits a vote in the full Senate. This is the third in a three-part series detailing the importance of programs funded by the OAA to the dignity of seniors across America. How would you get to your doctor’s appointment if you didn’t have a car? …

Life spans are increasing around the world, but countries differ enormously in how they deal with increasing demands for long-term services and supports (LTSS). AARP International recently sponsored a policy symposium on the LTSS systems in Germany, France and the United Kingdom to inform important discussions about how to reform the U.S. system. As AARP Executive Vice President Debra Whitman noted in her opening remarks, the costs associated with LTSS represent the largest uninsured risk to the retirement security of …

What are the best places to live if you’re age 65 or older? Of the 100 most populous American cities, these lead the list: Madison, Wis. Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa Provo-Orem, Utah Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. Salt Lake City Of small towns, these are on top: Iowa City, Iowa Sioux Falls, S.D. Columbia, Mo. Bismarck, N.D. Rapid City, S.D. All of this is according to the Best Cities for Successful Aging report released Nov. 18 by the Milken Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, California-based think tank. …

Recognizing the need for more walkable communities to benefit older adults and people of all ages, Marketplace Weekend, an American Public Media broadcast that airs on NPR, visited with Nancy LeaMond, executive vice president of the AARP state and national group, which includes AARP Livable Communities. >> See if your town or city is in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities AARP’s efforts to help communities become less car-dependent are motivated by the reality that, by 2030, 20 percent of …

Let me give you the bad news with the good: We’re falling down more often on our way to longer lives. “As the population ages and people live longer in bad shape,” wrote Katie Hafner in Sunday’s New York Times, “the number of older Americans who fall and suffer serious, even fatal, injuries is soaring.” According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, where I serve as ambassador for bone health, even younger boomers must devote some thought to their strength, stamina …